A Christmas Carol - Script

More documents

Recommendations

Info

MARTHA CRATCHIT: We'd a deal of work to finnish up last night, and had to clear away thismorning, mother!MRS. CRATCHIT: Well! Never mind so long as you are come, sit down by the fire, my dear, and havea warm, Lord bless you!PETER CRATCHIT: No, no! There's father coming.BELINDA CRATCHIT: Hide, Martha, hide![BOB CRATCHIT enters carrying TINY TIM upon his shoulders. TINY TIM bears a small crutch andwears an iron leg-frame.]BOB CRATCHIT: Why, where's our martha?MRS. CRATCHIT: Not coming.BOB CRATCHIT: Not coming! Not coming upon Christmas Day?MARTHA CRATCHIT: Here I am, father. I can't let them tease you so![They embrace.]BOB CRATCHIT: It would not have been Christmas at all without you, dear Martha!MRS. CRATCHIT: And how did little Tim behave?BOB CRATCHIT: As good as gold, and better. Somehow he gets thoughtful, sitting by himself somuch, and thinks the strangest things you ever heard. He told me, coming home, that he hoped thepeople saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to rememberupon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see. [Bob's voice is shaky.] Tim isreally getting to be much stronger and hearty... isn't he my dear?MRS. CRATCHIT: I wish it so. [She looks at him with great doubt.]PETER CRATCHIT: Tim! Sit here by the fire and have a warm.MRS. CRATCHIT: Patricia! Belinda! Bring Master Peter and fetch the goose![They exit to get the food. While the others are out, Bob seats Tim at the table. Upon return, all areseated.]BOB CRATCHIT: There never was such a goose!TINY TIM: Hurrah! [Hitting his spoon and fork on the table.]BOB CRATCHIT: Oh! And such a wonderful pudding!PATRICIA CRATCHIT: Such a lovely dinner, mother!BELINDA CRATCHIT: Yes, mother! Oh, yes!BOB CRATCHIT: A toast! A merry Christmas to us all, my dears. God bless us!PETER CRATCHIT: Yes, a toast!TINY TIM: God bless us every one!SCROOGE: Spirit, tell me if Tiny Tim will live?CHRISTMAS PRESENT: I see a vacant seat in the poor chimney corner, and a crutch without anowner, carefully preserved. If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die.SCROOGE: No, no! Oh, no, kind Spirit, say he will be spared.CHRISTMAS PRESENT: If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, none other of my race willfind him here. What then? If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.[Scrooge is overcome with penitence and grief, and lowers his head in shame.]FRED: He said that Christmas was a humbug, as I live! He believed it too!CHRISTINE: More shame for him, Fred!KATE: I don't believe it.MR. TOPPER: Surely not, Fred.FRED: He's a comical old fellow, that's the truth, and not so pleasant as he might be. However, hisoffenses carry their own punishment, and I have nothing against him.CHRISTINE: I'm sure he is very rich, Fred. At least you always tell me so.FRED: What of that, my dear! His wealth is of no use to him. He doesn't do any good with it. Hedoesn't make himself comfortable with it. [laughing] He hasn't the satisfaction of thinking that he is evergoing to benefit US with it.CHRISTINE: I have no patience with him!PHYLLIS: I have none either.KATE: Neither have I.MR. BELVUE: He is a churlish sort and I have no patience with those type.FRED: Oh, I have! I am sorry for him; I couldn't be angry with him if I tried. Who suffers by his illwhims! Himself, always. Here, he takes it into his head to dislike us, and he won't come and dine withus. What's the consequence?SCROOGE: Forgive me if I am not justified in what I ask, but I see something strange, and notbelonging to yourself, protruding from your skirts. Is it a foot or a claw?CHRISTMAS PRESENT: It might be a claw, for flesh there is upon it, look here.1516
[He opens his robe/curtain to reveal two children, a boy and a girl, IGNORANCE and WANT. Scroogeturns in horror.]CHRISTMAS PRESENT: Oh, man! Look here. Look, look, down here!SCROOGE: [Scrooge looks back] Spirit! Are they yours?CHRISTMAS PRESENT: They are Mans. And they cling to me, appealing from their Fathers. Thisboy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their decree, but most of all beware thisboy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. Deny it then!Slander those who tell it you! Admit it for your factious purposes, and make it worse. And abide theend!SCROOGE: Have they no refuge or resource?CHRISTMAS PRESENT: Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?[The Ghost returns Scrooge to his home. Scrooge sleeps briefly before being awakened by the Ghost ofChristmas Future.]SCROOGE: I am in the presence of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come?[CHRISTMAS FUTURE says nothing, but points onward.]SCROOGE: You are about to show me shadows of the things that have not happened, but will happenin the time before us. Is that so, Spirit?[CHRISTMAS FUTURE gives one slow . . . nod.]SCROOGE: Ghost of the Future! I fear you more than any spectre I have seen. But as I know yourpurpose is to do me good, and as I hope to live to be another man from what I was, I am prepared to bearyou company, and do it with a thankful heart. Will you not speak to me?[CHRISTMAS FUTURE only points onward, silently.]SCROOGE: Lead on! Lead on! This night is waning fast, and it is precious to me, I know. Lead on,Spirit!THE BUSINESSMENMR. HENRY: No. I don't know much about it, either way. I only know he's dead.MR. KINGSBURY: When did he die?MR. HENRY: Last night I believe.MR. WELLINGTON: Why, what was the matter with him? I thought he'd never die.MR. HENRY: Who knows.MR. WELLINGTON: What has he done with his money?MR. HENRY: I haven't heard. Left it to his company, perhaps. He hasn't left it to me. That's all I know.[Everyone laughs]MR. HENRY: It's likely to be a very cheap funeral, for upon my life I don't know of anybody to go to it.Suppose we make up a party and volunteer?MR. KINGSBURY: I don't mind going if a lunch is provided. But I must be fed, if I am to go.[Everyone laughs]MR. HENRY: Well, I am the most disinterested among you, after all, for I never wear black gloves, andI never eat lunch. But I'll offer to go, if anybody else will. When I come to think of it, I'm not at all surethat I wasn't his most particular friend, for we used to stop and speak whenever we met. Well, goodafternoon, gentlemen!SCROOGE: If there is any person in the town who feels emotion caused by this man's death, show thatperson to me, Spirit, I beseech you!THE DEBTORS.CAROLINE: Is it good, John; Or bad?JOHN: Bad!CAROLINE: We are quite ruined, then?JOHN: No. There is hope yet, Caroline.CAROLINE: If he relents, there is! Nothing is past hope, if such a miracle has happened.JOHN: He is past relenting. He is dead.CAROLINE: When I tried to see him and obtain a week's delay; and what I thought was a mere excuseto avoid me, turns out to have been quite true. He was not only very ill, but dying, then. To whom willour debt be transferred?JOHN: I don't know. But before that time we shall be ready with the money; and even though we werenot, it would be a bad fortune indeed to find so merciless a creditor in his successor. We may sleeptonight with light hearts, Caroline!SCROOGE: Let me see some tenderness connected with a death, or that dark chamber, Spirit, whichwe left just now, will be forever present to me.The CRATCHIT HOMEPETER CRATCHIT: ...And He took a child, and set him in the midst of them...MRS. CRATCHIT: The color hurts my eyes. [obviously crying]PATRICIA CRATCHIT: The color? Ah, poor Tiny Tim!1718
Page 1 and 2: A CHRISTMAS CAROLby Charles Dickens
Page 3 and 4: [as they exit a caroler enters thro
Page 5 and 6: SCROOGE: I am a mortal, and liable
Page 7: SCROOGE: Spirit! Remove me from thi
Page 11 and 12: merry as a schoolboy. I am as giddy

A Christmas Carol - Script

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?